🗓️ What’s Up Next
Congress
Both chambers are in session from the 15th to the 19th this week. Next week, both chambers are in recess.
The PA General Assembly
The House returns for non-voting days on September 22nd, and the Senate returns for voting on October 20th.
Want a deeper dive?
If there’s a topic you’re interested in our analysis of, feel free to drop us a line. We’ll be doing deeper dives on the big stuff as it happens, but we’re always happy to hear what you want to know.
The Congressional Breakdown
Two weeks into the fall session, Congress is finally back in the swing of things. They’re still up against their September 30th deadline, but bills are moving steadily compared to last week. A stopgap measure is pushing us to the finish line.
Here’s what’s new:
September 30th Stopgap Funding: On Tuesday afternoon, the House GOP released a stopgap funding bill that will keep federal agencies funded through November 21st. It provides $30 million for lawmaker security and a total of $58 million in security assistance that the White House requested for the Supreme Court and members of its executive branch. At the moment, it’s unclear whether or not the bill will have bipartisan support, especially in the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t made any specific policy or funding demands that the party wants to see in order for the bill to earn Democratic votes.
What the Bill Does: The current iteration of the bill funds heightened security for congressional lawmakers, following the assassination of conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk. The bill funds a program that allows members of Congress to request additional security through “partnerships between the Capitol Police and state and local law enforcement agencies”.
The bill also allows the Trump administration to “spend whatever funding is necessary” on the WIC nutrition program, allowing states to provide assistance to everyone who is eligible.
Among the other anomalies included in the bill—or, deviations from otherwise flat-funded accounts within the continuing resolutions—is the so-called “D.C. fix”, which allows the capital city’s government to spend its full budget.
Notably not included in the bill are any of the health care proposals that have been floating around, such as an extension to Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year.
How this Impacts Pennsylvania: A stopgap bill works as a temporary measure to allow lawmakers the time to negotiate the full budget, but it doesn’t address the long-term policy issues that are being discussed. The good news is that if the stopgap funding bill is passed, Pennsylvania and all other states will avoid the immediate crisis of a shutdown, and essential federal services will continue to operate. (Programmatic budget cuts notwithstanding.) It remains to be seen what changes will be made to the stopgap bill as it moves through the House and Senate, and whether it will pass at all.
🔥 What We’re Watching
FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee’s FBI oversight hearing on Tuesday, and if you guessed the topic was Epstein, you’d be correct. Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy said, “I think you’re gonna have to do more to satisfy the American people’s understandable curiosity in that regard.” Patel agreed.
A federal appeals court rejected the president’s bid to oust Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook. Meanwhile, the Senate confirmed White House chief economist Stephen Miran to the Fed Board, 48-47.
POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit had a number of takeaways: the idea of a 10-year moratorium on state and local artificial intelligence laws remains alive, according to Senator Cruz; a Trump adviser framed the AI race as “an existential race with China”, and; PA Senator McCormick said the White House isn’t in his cards.
After a mess of hearings and the threat of a shutdown, TikTok is still up and running in the U.S. Will a trade deal make America the owner of the app?
Did You Know? Pennsylvania is the snack food capital of the world. We produce the most chips and pretzels in the nation!
Till next time,